Freedom Bound
by Julian the Dreamer
Summary: There's always oppression in this world; wether it be born of fear, hate, rage or pride. I've been enslaved countless of times, and I've always led the rebellion against the foolish tyranny. But now, I found myself bound like never before in this city that dares call itself an utopia... and for the first time, I don't think I'm strong enough to oppose my enslavers.
1. Prologue

**It never was, and it will never be**

She ran.

 _"Predators are evil! We all know that! This city was founded under the dream of reaching harmony between predator and prey! But Time and time again they've shown us that harmony is a foolish dream! Their savagery, their thirst for blood, it hadn't faded away! Their oppression over us grows with each generation! Zootopia can't live up to its name with them in control! NO PREY CAN LIVE IN SAFETY WITH PREDATORS FREE TO DO AS THEY WISH! Will we be meek and submissive?! Will we let them take and take and take until we have no security, no homes, no family, not even our very lives?! OR WILL WE RISE AGAINST THEIR OPPRESSION AND SHOW THEM OUR STRENGTH?!"_

 _Clamors and roars answered, the masses rallied by the young, vengeful deer._

This wasn't what she wanted!

The predators that ruled both the city and its underworld were tyrants in all but name, and not a single day passed where blood wasn't spilled on the streets. She wanted revenge for them...

But not this!

When she finally found him, an angry growl escaped her mouth; the deer turned to face her with a savagery in his face that terrified her to the core. They both heard the desperation that she'd tried to hid behind her anger.

She'd started something... that she couldn't stop.

* * *

He snarled, disgusted at the betrayal.

 _"In the last three decades, Zootopia has reached a greatness that it had never known before. Ever since the Revolution, prey animals managed to build a better and more harmonious place than the predators that ruled before. But now, times change, and we need to change with them. Trust on me, citizens, and I will continue that glorious trend. Predators, follow me; though I possess hooves instead of claws, I only wish to reach that ideal of harmony that our beautiful city was founded over."_

They trusted on him, and now they had lost everything. Allowing that horse to become a mayor had been a mistake, and every predator was paying for it.

Lost homes, lost jobs, lost dignity. And most prey didn't care; they gladly took form the 'savages', all in the name of 'harmony'.

As he watched yet another family being forcefully relocated to a thing that couldn't be called a house, he felt the pain of the betrayal. Over and over and over. 

* * *

She felt it like they'd hit her face.

 _"It's a well-known fact that we prey evolved to this civilized stage of intelligence and sapience first; it took predators centuries, if not millennia to catch up. Is it any surprise then that they are more savage than us? That killer instinct, that need to prove their superiority, it's still there! We need to tame them, to curb that savagery! If not, they will destroy us."_

Oppression was something she'd never liked. In their need to assure their safety, the prey that composed most of Zootopia had began to take rights from the predator citizens... and that was only in the legal plane.

Day after day, bullying and violence grew, fomented by those ignorant ideas and concepts. Dreams were broken as their dreamers were denied the opportunities to reach them... or were beaten for just daring to dream.

And every hit, whether metaphorical or literal, left a wound on her. Soon, she was broken.

* * *

He stumbled, his strength failing.

 _"We've all heard about the cases of maiming, of all the murders; a clear signal of those savages striking against us! But we must not fear them! Predators simply refuse to accept the laws meant to safeguard the citizens of Zootopia. It clearly shows their true nature. So let's show them ours!"_

Her attempts to fix things were backfiring, and he could feel it. The fear inside prey grew, feeding their hatred. And predators suffered more and more in consequence, until the few that fought back, either peacefully or through violent ways, lost all courage to try.

His heart weakened as fear gripped everyone else's. 

* * *

They wilted.

 _"The collar is the greatest invention our scientists could have come up with. By making every predator wear it, whenever their inner savage manifests it will be cut off by a mild electrical shock that will make them regain their senses, and eventually teach them to live in harmony. It that way, all prey will be secure."_

Pain, death and suffering clouded the city as the lights of the collars filled the streets. The torture those devices caused killed the flames of hope that burned dimly in the hearts of predators.

And they were dying with it.

* * *

More than a century ago, the prey rose against the cruel predators that oppressed them; but that hadn't called it here. No, it was the hatred that grew in the hearts of those in this city.

 _"The collars may have only lasted a few years before their death tool shook this city, but the cause on their creation isn't gone. The bloody protests that followed their removal more than proved. So ever since them, we've been enforcing our control over the predator population to achieve the harmony we so greatly desire. And I truly believe we are achieving a beautiful city of tolerance and acceptance, were we can be anything."_

New oppressors rose, ignoring the fact they were more vile than those they had taking the reins from.

The most recent proof was the group of sheep and equines that was beating a predator for playing his guitar in a public park, trying to gather money to buy his food.

He smiled at the spilt blood; cruelty festered in this mockery of a utopia. And it was _delicious_. 

* * *

The world was a big place, and he'd been too busy to help Zootopia before. But now, he was finally able to.

Faster than the wind he flew, following the cries of broken spirits. He'd heard millions of them, hundreds of times ever since sapience emerged in the living being of this world; but the sorrow that filled his heart was always the same.

With a final beat of his wings, he was over the city, the 'utopia'. He would never understand how the mammals down there could be so blind as to not see how they'd created the opposit-

Chains formed around him, ensnaring his form in an instant. His breath was cut as they constricted, and he fell.

He valiantly fought against the chains, but to no avail. This wasn't the first time it happened, but they've never been so _strong_ before.

As he hit the ground, pain as he hadn't know in a thousand years shot through his body, and the chains pressed even more. His spirit cried in defiance, but so little voices responded.

...

Were they really that resigned to a life of suffering?

With another defiant cry, he shakily rose from the ground; the God of Freedom would not surrender!

Zootopia needed him, more than most of its citizens realized.


	2. Chapter 1

In winter nights, the streets of Zootopia were filled with a cold air that could chill anyone to their bones; and that was _outside_ of Tundratown. Not many were out in this part of town. A lone tiger waited on a bus stop, trying to lit a cigar; but the sound of metal against metal caught his attention.

Looking down the street, a peculiar sight greeted his eyes.

A black bird with white feathers in the wings and neck, wearing nothing but chains that seemed to constrict every few steps. The bird walked through the street, cursing under his breath as he stumbled yet again. Standing up in shaky legs he reassumed his march, the end of the chains floating after him.

"Good night," he greeted the tiger as he walked past the bus stop, vanishing in the darkness of the street.

The feline just looked on increduously. _What kind of bird was that?_

His musings where interrupted when he finally managed to get his lighter to work. 

* * *

Sebastian was a tired fox. A lifetime of prejudice would do that to anyone; but he willed his body to keep going. No amount of exhaustion form both a long day at work and a common day in Zootopia for a fox was going to stop him.

He'd been saving money for this occasion; he'd checked every bakery in the city until a kind bunny took mercy on him and accepted his order.

 _A_ bunny _, of all mammals!_ He still couldn't believe it, but didn't complain; though he worried about the couple of bruises she wore on her face.

"I can't thank you enough for this."

"You don't have to; I'm glad to help," she beamed at him, her beautiful blue eyes almost shining with mirth.

"So, what do you need me to bake?" The brown bunny asked, only her head and arms going over the counter. Even the stool she was using was barely enough for her to look over it.

"This," he passed her a small paper; as she went over it, he couldn't help but ask. "Are you ok? I know it's none of my business, but those bruises..."

"Don't worry about it," she said, smiling sadly at him. "You have more important things to take care of than me."

"But what happened to you?" he queried.

"Zootopia happened," was her answer. He nodded in sympathy; this city could be quite cruel.

She turned around and hopped off the stool to go to the kitchen-

Sebastian gaped for a second before turning around, embarrassed; the counter had hid most of her body before, but now it was clear to him she was wearing nothing but her apron!

 _Don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlookyou'reamarriedfoxdon'tlook._

Only after he heard the door close he dared to take a peek. She was in the kitchen. _Thanks goodness! Is she a naturalist or something?_

It took near an hour, but it was ready at last. Just the smell emanating from the box was making his stomach growl. Surprisingly, she didn't seem scared of it like most of the smaller prey; instead she giggled, grabbed a cupcake from a basket on the counter and passed it over to him.

"Oh, I can't accept it-" he started.

"It's a free sample; as long as you don't take the entire basked it's fine. Besides you could use more food; you're a little thin."

"I have a really good diet," he quipped. Both of them laughed, choosing not to comment on the true reason.

He took the box and cupcake from the counter, giving her a smile full of appreciation. "Thanks you very much, miss..."

"Isabella."

"A pleasure to meet you; I'm Sebastian." He checked his clock. "Oh, I'm running late! She you later, Isabella!"

He left the store in a rush, devouring the cupcake in a single bite to have both paws available. He prayed the bus would actually be punctual this time, but not even the gods could make that happen.

Isabella watched him go as her power receeded, the bakery going dark. Little gestures like these were all she could do, but his grateful smile made it worth it.

She left the apron in the counter and walked off the building in four legs. 

* * *

Zootopia at night was, ironically, _less_ dangerous than at day; with how many night patrols the police did all the time, it was safer to commit a crime in the middle of the day. You still had to watch over your back, though.

The God of Freedom kept walking, ignoring the looks he attracted as he wandered aimlessly through the streets of Zootopia. There was something in the city; but he couldn't find it. Well, _them_. His chains may constrict his form and power, but his senses were working fine; he just couldn't make sense of what he was perceiving.

 _Ugh, that was a horrible pun._ Shaking his featherless head, he kept marching on. The closest one was a very faint light; ironically, he might have missed it if the broken souls of the oppressed weren't so quiet.

By the time he arrived at the small building that apparently worked as a department complex for poor families, it was almost midnight. He found a fox hurrying up the steps to the entrance, dissappearing inside. Gasping for breath, he followed him. And then he found one of his greatest enemies.

 _Oh great, stairs._ Rolling his eyes, he started the arduous journey. This was one of the worst parts of being unable to fly.

Somehow, he managed to catch up to the fox, even though he was a lot more out of breath than the mammal. The God collapsed at the start of the small hallway; luckily, he made sure no one could see him. As he rested, he noticed that the faint light he sensed was coming from the door the fox was opening.

"Dad!" a voice cried from the inside.

"Nicky! Guess who brought you a birthday cake!" Sebastian singsonged as he entered his apartment.

"Yay!"

The God of Freedom half walked, half dragged himself to the door and looked at the small family, perplexed. His eyes fell on the infant... the source of the light. _I'm not sure what I expected to find, but it definitely wasn't this._


End file.
